Redefining Horizons

“Why do you feel that your team needs to be trained?” “What are the takeaways you expect from me?” These are the two questions I ask, when I am being hired as a trainer. Unlike physical regimens of soldiers and athletes, most managerial training sessions, irrespective of the settings, are often initiated and conducted without a defined purpose or end-state in mind. The question, what triggered the need to call a trainer, seldom elicits credible response. Training sessions, under such conditions are trainer-dependent and gravitate towards being ‘tales’ “full of sound and fury signifying nothing”. Such sessions are often recycled wide-spectrum templates. Training, if not specifically customized is no training. The state can be best compared to the difference between the well-fitted and the ill-fitted. Adequately customized training enables the trainee, to no end. My experience with performers, consistent and erratic,  brilliance that flamed out and  winners who s...

Fidelity : The Elementum ultimum? Man or woman, whosoever first associated, infidelity with vice and fidelity with virtue, either was ignorant of basic human nature or a management expert. In reality, fidelity totters precariously between truth and lies while infidelity rages rampant. While professional counsellors wield fidelity as elementum ultimum for ‘marital success’, head hunters make a living, enticing the ambitious to look beyond existing relations. Ironically, both for marriages and career, parameters of success remain vague. Choice? Humans, polygamous by nature, are compelled to deploy monogamy to improve chances of all males finding mates. This benevolent practice, conceptualised by smart social engineers prevents violence inherent to sexual rivalry. Fidelity, the primary characteristic of monogamy is socially acceptable and infidelity, a taboo. Despite its adverse consequences, men and women of all cultures engage in emotional or physical infidelity. A...

Outrunning Death Sirens wailing, lights flashing, ambulances zip through traffic as if nothing else exists in their way. Mortals admire his ability to turn traffic chaotic and even negotiate through it. It seems that his heroics alone, in carting the afflicted to hospitals at lighting speeds, is enough to prevent ‘the end’ and ensure survival of the patient. To us the public, he our saviour can outrun death. What happens in the hospital at the emergency room or casualty is something different. Lightning speeds and driver’s daredevilry notwithstanding, the patient becomes one amongst many medical emergencies and receives a very informed and calibrated response, often mistaken by the near and dear ones as heartless apathy and callous complacency.   Hailing Ambulances Ambulances are used to evacuate accident victims or patients in emergency. It is common belief that, if a patient is ‘somehow’ ferried to the intended hospital fastest, survival and recovery stand bet...

Succession , ideally should be one of the key issues a CEO must deliberate on, if he is an organisation’s man.   Each ‘growth-thirsty’ organisation in its life-cycle will have to grapple with the question of succession many times over. After me, who? Options Succession dilemma may not bother governmental organisations since someone would invariably move up on seniority or be picked up on considerations that might have nothing to do with organisational health and growth. Business entities that crave longevity and profitability can ill afford such complacence. Growth oriented organisations often have well charted systems and practices for succession. Deciding who in the hierarchy moves forward to critical positions is not limited to the CEO’s chair alone. It applies to every key organisational position. In all these conditions, choice between ‘ Tailgating’ and ‘ Trailblazing ’ assume importance. Tailgating Tailgating is a practice where an individual high in...

Who doesn't want to be rich, famous and powerful ? Who doesn't want to be successful?   Success, to almost all of us, is being rich, famous and powerful. But are these the only manifestations of success? What happens when one hits the apogee? How does the CEO of a mega business empire seek to continue his rise in positional hierarchy? Does his success hit the wall? How does an individual, having become the premier of a super power continue his success story? Has he too hit the wall? Does the flux in the Forbes list indicate climb to and fall from success?   Talk on the subject at MILIT, Pune Irrespective of the organisation one works for or the society one lives in, everyone wants to succeed.   It is this yearning to succeed that drives humans to excel. Success, simplistically defined by dictionary as ‘accomplishment of a purpose or aim’, encompasses things much beyond mere achievements. It is perceived, understood and experienced differently by ever...

Tricolour with Pride On the Independence Day, our National Flag is hoisted with pride across the country.   Government Institutions, individuals and even commercial organisations hoist the National Flag. While governmental institutions are mandated to hoist the Tricolour, private citizens and commercial entities do it out of pride.   Commercial entities however, do not hesitate to use the event as an exercise in ‘image building’. In fact, I feel, it is good for an organisation to draw on nationalistic pride, provided they really mean it. When, I was approached, by Mr Satish, the manager of one such organisation, to unfurl the National Flag on the Independence Day, I readily agreed . I wanted to utilise the occasion to address the gathering about our duties as citizens and increase awareness about defence forces. Brilliant Organising Skills Having spent most of my life in uniform, punctuality is in...

M uch has been researched, written, read and taught about leadership and authority . Experts have classified leadership depending on the approach adopted. Types of leadership and levels of authority enjoyed notwithstanding, everyone, including those at the very end of the chain wish to rise in hierarchy. Inevitably everyone, in due course, gets to be entrusted positionally with authority. While methodology of exercising authority is personality driven, effectiveness of leadership depends on how subordinates receives it. Superiors, irrespective of realm and reach, yearn for unquestioned acceptance, wholehearted adherence, enthusiastic compliance and unfathomable respect. But, history bears testimony to the fact that different individuals occupying the same position of authority over the same chain, evoke dissimilar responses in terms of acceptance, adherence, compliance, relevance and reverence. Are all superiors leaders? Superiors Since functional hierarchy is...